Guest Post

Hi, there! It's me again, Nessa. Remember? I'm the dog that lives with Bilbo and Agnes. How about this cool picture of me helping Bilbo rake the leaves yesterday?

I think he works too hard, so I try to encourage him to take some breaks once in a while and play frisbee with me. He tends to get pretty focused on what he's doing, so I sometimes have to get pretty obvious to get him to do the right thing.

Bilbo has been pretty busy lately since Agnes went to Germany to visit her parents. I do my part to keep him busy by trying very hard to make him feel guilty for leaving me at home alone while Agnes is gone. It's working - I'm getting more long and longer walks, and he's playing ball and frisbee with me for longer periods of time. He should be thanking me for helping him keep in shape, but I'm not sure he sees it the same way I do.

I also have plenty of time to practice my special Sorrowful Lab Look™ in the full-length mirror while he's at work. We Labs have this look in our nature, of course, but I've made it an art form.

When Agnes is home, Bilbo is usually able to resist the Sorrowful Lab Look™, but now that she's away, I'm more successful in getting him to give me extra treats and more goodies in my supper dish. It's all part of the Master Management Program that we dogs learn early.

I also have a very important job that Agnes gave me before she left: I'm supposed to bark really loudly and growl as ferociously as I can whenever a pretty lady comes near the house or gets close to us while we're out walking. I'm really good at this. You should see how fast they move quickly to the other side of the street, or go to the house next door instead of knocking at our house! What Agnes told me is true - if I make lots of noise and act fierce, nobody will know that I'm really a pushover.

Well, I've gotta go now. Bilbo will be out of the shower soon and I need to make sure I've emptied my supper dish so that I can keep picking it up and dropping it on the floor at his feet. That helps him remember to fill it up before he goes to work. He's getting a little old, you know, and I always like to help him remember the important stuff.

It's all part of being a good dog. Which I am. Really.

Have a good day. Bilbo will be back tomorrow.

Nessa